Arizona emissions checks test drivers' patience

by Ryan Randazzo - Oct. 6, 2012 10:48 PMThe Republic | azcentral.com

In metro Phoenix and Tucson, ritual emissions checks require a visit to the inspection station, a long wait at busy times of the month, up to $28 in fees and untold frustration if your vehicle happens to fail.

While Arizona drivers fume about the test system, drivers in 22 states get their vehicle emissions checked at local auto-repair shops -- and, in a few states, it's free. If a vehicle happens to fail, it can be repaired in a single stop. The decentralized process can save time and money.

Of the 31 states required to give vehicle-emissions tests because their air doesn't meet federal criteria, nine still operate with centralized testing stations like Arizona's. Others, including Ohio and Wisconsin, have moved to simpler, cheaper tests to keep polluting cars off the roads.

Like the other states, Arizona's system is designed to catch and fix the few cars with emissions problems that contribute to smog. More than 90 percent of newer vehicles pass the test, meaning more than 1.3 million Arizonans a year wait in line and pay for a test they will pass, while tens of thousands of others drive between testing stations and repair shops until they pass or get a waiver. Officials say changes to the system are unlikely, at least for a decade or more.

That frustrates drivers such as Greg Wyant of east Mesa, whose 11-year-old work truck recently failed an emissions test for the first time.

After driving to the testing station, paying for the test and failing, driving to a mechanic, who said the truck was fine, then driving all the way to the secondary inspection station in Phoenix, it took about five minutes before technicians told him he was good to go.

Inspectors told him he failed the initial test because labels came off some of the truck's equipment, and the first technicians didn't know how to properly test his vehicle.

"It's just plain garbage because I didn't have to do this," Wyant said. "The guy working at the first station seemed kind of not well-educated on the engine itself."

Millions of tests

States test emissions as part of the Clean Air Act. Regions with significant air-pollution problems, such as the Phoenix and Tucson areas, must test emissions to reduce pollution or risk losing millions in federal highway funds. But states have options in how they run their programs to best address their particular pollution concerns.

Arizona's vehicle-inspection program, which exempts the five most recent model years of vehicles, conducts 1.52 million initial tests a year and is credited with keeping 86 tons of pollution out of the air per day by forcing dirty vehicles to get repairs, according to the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.

Any changes in the program would require federal approval, and less-strict vehicle-emissions requirements could mean tougher air-quality rules in other categories.

States also differ in how the emissions testing is financed. Some states, such as Ohio and Wisconsin, offer free tests paid by the state, while others charge. Arizona's costs are about average among states that charge.

Arizona's program, like most states, is administered by a for-profit firm, Gordon-Darby Inc. of Kentucky. The standard vehicle test in Phoenix costs $27.75 every other year, although the costs of Arizona's various tests range from $12.25 to $28 and some are good for only one year.

Gordon-Darby pays for all of the testing equipment, insurance and other costs, and then charges drivers.

For the standard vehicle test in Phoenix, $14.25 goes back to the state to administer the program, and $13.50 goes to Gordon-Darby.

Drivers paid about $36.6 million in inspection fees last year. Not all of the money is directed toward emissions tests, because sometimes the Legislature "sweeps" the funds to use for other state programs. About $10million, or more than one-quarter of the fees collected last year, are being swept from the ADEQ budget this fiscal year. An additional $1.8 million is being redirected to a safe drinking-water program.

"Over the years, when we have money in the account, the Legislature will determine if they need to borrow it," said Trevor Baggiore, deputy director of the air-quality division of the Department of Environmental Quality. "I guess they don't borrow it, because they don't pay it back."

More options

Most states with emissions programs offer more testing options for vehicle owners than Arizona, which has 18 testing stations and two secondary stations that can issue waivers for failing vehicles. Many other states certify auto-repair shops and service stations to test at least newer vehicles. That system also allows mechanics to quickly make repairs to vehicles that fail, saving drivers an extra trip or two.

Wyant is one of about 203,000 people whose vehicles fail their initial emissions check in Arizona each year. Most then travel between repair shops and inspections until the vehicle eventually passes or gets a waiver.

States such as Ohio are testing systems that allow people with newer vehicles to visit test stations 24 hours a day, plug in the diagnostic equipment under the eye of a security camera, and test their vehicle, for free.

Ohio also is testing a system that scans license plates and checks emissions of vehicles passing by sensors on freeway ramps, sending automatic pass notifications by mail to the cleanest vehicles, saving the owners a trip to emissions.

"We are generally getting more positive feedback from motorists," said Heidi Griesmer, spokeswoman for the Ohio program, which switched from a centralized, Arizona-style program in July to one that allows testing at auto shops and other locations. "They seem to like having more options, and they can choose how to go about getting a car tested at a time that is convenient to them."

The new contract also is saving Ohio and its taxpayers about $2 million a year, even though it is using the same vendor to administer the program that ran the centralized system. Arizona's vendor, Gordon-Darby, can operate both types of systems.

The Ohio program has taken other steps to be more consumer-friendly. In 2008, the state began offering free gas caps for vehicles that fail that portion of the test. Gas caps that don't seal property can release fumes that contribute to smog.

When drivers fail the gas-cap test in Arizona, they must drive to an auto shop to purchase a new cap and return to the station and wait in line for a free retest.

Envirotest Systems Holding Corp. provides the equipment for auto shops that participate in the Ohio program and trains the workers on how to conduct the tests. The auto shops do not get paid for the tests but are motivated to participate in the program for the ancillary oil changes and other service they get from customers who need an emissions test, said Prentiss Taylor, general manager of Envirotest Ohio.

"We are sort of proud of what Ohio is doing," said Taylor, whose company has been the vendor for Ohio since 1990. "We are doing a little bit of everything for everybody."

The state still offers 23 central emissions stations (more than Arizona, yet the state tests far fewer vehicles) and has added 53 oil-change and repair shops that offer the tests for vehicles made since 1996.

The new contract that began this year in Ohio is about $9 million, paid by the state. It's about $2 million less per year than the previous contract.

Ohio drivers previously paid about $20 for their tests, but state lawmakers there voted to take on the expense, and the tests became free in 2006.

Ohio pays the contractor for the service, rather than charging drivers for the tests.

"As a taxpayer, I'm paying for it in a sense in taxes, but I'm not whipping out a $20 bill every time I go get a test," Taylor said.

Greater convenience

States that use a decentralized emissions program report more satisfaction from drivers, who appreciate the convenience of more inspection sites.

Wisconsin also switched this year to a free decentralized system, and is saving about $600,000 a year under the new contract, said Scott Selbach, supervisor of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation program.

Wisconsin previously had nine testing facilities that would conduct more than 600,000 tests a year. Now, with auto shops participating, drivers can take their vehicle to about 200 locations for a free test.

"The biggest selling point of this program with the general public is they can piggyback automotive service with an emissions test," Selbach said. "They can get an oil change at the same time as an emission test. You are not making two separate trips to get your work done."

The Wisconsin vendor, Systech International, pays the auto shops $2 per test out of the money it collects from the state, Selbach said. It's not a way for auto shops to get rich, but it brings them more business.

Not all states with decentralized systems offer free or less-expensive testing than Arizona's, however. Emissions tests in Nevada run a maximum of $40 to $51, compared with $28 in Arizona. In California, tests can be conducted at a variety of auto shops, but the price is unregulated. The state reports they cost from $30 to $90.

Switching to the decentralized system was easier for Wisconsin and for some other states than it would be for Arizona because Wisconsin tests only vehicles made since 1996.

Different tests are used for different vehicles, depending on age. Vehicles made since 1996 can use a simple plug-in device that connects to the vehicle's computer. Most programs across the country that allow auto shops to test emissions offer these tests only.

Arizona tests vehicles made between 1967 and 1995 by placing them on rollers, called a dynamometer, that are too expensive for most auto shops to install, especially for a free or cheap test.

Testing older vehicles makes the process more complex, but a higher percentage of those vehicles cause pollution and fail the tests. Arizona data from 2011 shows that only 6.3 percent of the 2006 vehicles failed their initial test, while vehicles made from 1967 to 1977 had failure rates of between 32 and 43 percent.

Arizona has many older vehicles on the road, so exempting them from the program would generate more air pollution than in other states, said Baggiore, from ADEQ.

"In a desert environment, cars do not rust away as in other areas, and that leaves desert environments with a large number of old vehicles, all subject to differing test types," Baggiore said.

Some states handle this problem by requiring older vehicles to visit central testing stations while new vehicles can get their test the easy way at any of the dozens of participating shops.

In the regions of Ohio where emissions tests are required, about 90 percent of the vehicles are 1996 or newer, so about 1 in 10 drivers must go to a central emissions station and can't use the auto and lube shops.

In Arizona, about 35 percent of the tests administered annually are for vehicles older than 1996.

Program's benefits

Arizona Department of Environmental Quality officials cite several reasons they are sticking with the centralized system of emissions stations.

One of the issues in Arizona is the poor air quality, which mandates a tougher emissions program to comply with federal law, and another is how Arizona lawmakers run the program compared with others in more driver-friendly states.

"ADEQ's experience is that a centralized program, while not perfect, provides a reasonably convenient and quick testing environment for motorists that allows ADEQ to maintain control over costs, testing procedures, test data, and any possible fraudulent activity," Baggiore said.

Baggiore said Arizona's system is less prone to fraud, which has been a problem in several states with decentralized emissions programs.

"In a highly controlled testing environment, such as Arizona currently has, fraudulent activity is minimized," he said.

In a centralized system, the main concern with fraud is that technicians would accept bribes to give passing grades to failing vehicles. The state and Gordon-Darby use a variety of techniques, including undercover sting operations, to prevent that. They also monitor the pass-fail rates of technicians to ensure that they fall within the statistical expectations.

Gordon-Darby has had issues in Arizona in the past, with 14 inspectors accused of taking bribes in 2002 and 2003, and 13 in 1999. But Gordon-Darby also has been hired by other states to consult with them on their systems when other vendors run into trouble.

In decentralized systems, the main fraud concerns are auto shops that suggest unnecessary repairs to people bringing in vehicles for emissions tests, and workers allowing failing vehicles to pass the tests.

New York issued citations to 40 inspection sites in a 2010 crackdown that found shops using a simulator to pass failing vehicles. Similar scams, some that brought felony charges, have also occurred in recent years in Georgia, Nevada, Massachusetts and Texas.

So far, the Ohio program has not uncovered any auto shops gaming the system.

"If they get caught doing that, they would be immediately dropped from the program," Taylor said. "We audit them both covertly and overtly."

Wisconsin has had a few complaints of auto shops pushing repairs that drivers didn't think they needed since it made the switch in July, Selbach said.

"We have had a few complaints where somebody felt they were being pressured into purchasing something by the inspection facility," he said.

The state has investigated each claim and has not found any wrongdoing, he said.

"We have had close to 150,000 tests, and we are probably looking at a handful of these types of complaints," he said.

Unlikely to change

Baggiore said Arizona officials have monitored changes made by other states such as Ohio but are not willing to pursue changes that would allow newer vehicles to be tested at more locations. He said it would not work well in Arizona, and changes likely wouldn't come for a decade or more, until more pre-1996 vehicles are retired from the road.

The current contract runs through mid-2014, and ADEQ is preparing in November to award the next multiyear contract, which also calls for a centralized system.

Getting Environmental Protection Agency approval for changes also could be difficult. If Arizona were to loosen its standards for its vehicle-emissions tests, it would have to find other ways to cut air pollution or risk losing federal transportation funding, Baggiore said.

"ADEQ would be required to demonstrate that going to a decentralized program would provide the same degree of emission reductions as the current program," he said.

So far, the agency has had little luck making things easier on drivers, when it has tried. Arizona lawmakers requested the state stop testing motorcycles in Maricopa County. The emissions tests on motorcycles are estimated to prevent just 20 tons a year of air pollution, a tiny fraction of the total in metro Phoenix.

ADEQ has submitted its proposal, but Baggiore is doubtful the EPA will approve.

"We still are waiting for EPA," he said. "We have heard the past eight or nine months they will disapprove of it for one reason or another."

That makes it highly unlikely the state could win approval for a plan where all vehicles older than 1996 are exempt from emissions tests, he said.

Colleen McKaughan, a Tucson-based associate director in the EPA's air-quality division, said the state has never discussed with her agency the idea of shifting to a different emissions system. She said the EPA decision on the motorcycle exemption is expected soon.

"Arizona has a very successful inspection and maintenance program," she said. "It has achieved a lot of (emissions) reductions." She said the Arizona program has helped the state comply with federal rules for carbon-monoxide pollution and nearly comply with rules for ozone pollution.

"I use the inspection program here, as a resident of Tucson, and it's very easy to use," she said.

An EPA approval for sweeping changes could take years, she said.

"We would have to evaluate that very carefully and make sure it didn't compromise air quality," she said.